A little confusing...

CSTV ranks SDSU number #5 in the conference, however ESPN's Joe Lunardi has them as a 13th seed. Either the Aztecs will surprise the hell out of everyone and win the conference outright, or the Mountain West is a multi-bid conference.

Multi-bid? Sure, BYU and Air Force seem a shoe-in to get into the dance.

Ok, I don't want to talk about this anymore. It gets me depressed.

Also, CSTV released their preseason top 25 poll. Just for shits and giggles I have reproduced their poll and the blogpoll top 25 done by a bunch of us.

CSTV's Top 25
1. North Carolina (31-7)
2. Memphis (33-4)
3. UCLA (30-6)
4. Kansas (33-5)
5. Georgetown (30-7)
6. Louisville (24-10)
7. Indiana (21-11)
8. Tennessee (24-11)
9. Michigan State (23-12)
10. Washington State (26-8)
11. Gonzaga (23-11)
12. Duke (22-11)
13. Kentucky (22-12)
14. Stanford (18-13)
15. Marquette (24-10)
16. Texas A&M (27-7)
17. Oregon (29-8)
18. Pittsburgh (29-8)
19. Texas (25-10)
20. USC (25-12)
21. Syracuse (24-11)
22. Kansas State (23-12)
23. Florida (35-5)
24. Arizona (33-5)
25. Xavier (25-9)

The Blogpoll's Top 25
1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. North Carolina
4. Kansas
5. Georgetown
6. Tennessee
7. Louisville
8. Michigan St.
9. Washington St.
10. Marquette
11. Oregon
12. Indiana
13. Texas
14. Duke
15. Kentucky
16. Gonzaga
17. Arkansas
18. Stanford
19. Texas A&M
20. Arizona
21. Butler
22. Davidson
23. Mississippi St.
24. VA Commonwealth
25. USC

So there are 5 teams on their top 25 that did not make ours (Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Kansas State, Florida and Xavier). I'll take the most surprising to me with CSTV's comment, and then my comment -

21. Syracuse (24-11)
Missing the NCAA Tournament last season will have the Orange hungry to make this year's field, and with highly-regarded recruits Johnny Flynn, Antonio "Scoop" Jardine and Donte Green joining Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, Jim Boeheim has a talented team at both ends of the court. How well Syracuse's non-conference slate prepares them for their rugged Big East schedule, however, could be the difference between an NCAA Tournament berth and another snub from the selection committee.

Hungry rookies does not a March Madness bid make. Next!

22. Kansas State (23-12)
The sudden departure of Bob Huggins at the end of last season was a surprise to many in Manhattan with the Wildcats almost making the NCAA Tournament, but Frank Martin is eager to restore the Wildcats' program in his first season as a head coach. And with a backcourt that features highly-touted recruits Bill Walker and Michael Beasley, this could be the year that Kansas State finally finds itself back in the NCAA Tournament.

I would agree with that statement had it been made before the 2008-2009 season. It's going to take a year for Martin to get his legs and mold his team. But right now they are in hell.

Finally, hey look NCAA Hoops Today! Gary Parrish is giving UAB a little love:

"On paper, UAB has as much or more talent than any C-USA program not called Memphis. But in picking the Blazers to finish second and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, I'm putting a lot of faith in those transfers to produce immediately. That's a risky venture, I admit."

Hey, I said a little...